by Tamie Dearen
“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to talk to them. Would it?”
“I don’t think I could be civil to them. I’m so angry they don’t want Jace. I hurt for him.” He scowled.
“But you’ll get to adopt him, either way, right?”
“Yes, but he should get to grow up with his sister. I don’t want him to turn out like me.”
Her heart melted at the pain on his face. “But he’ll have you for a dad no matter what. And anyway, you turned out great, Josh.”
“No. I turned into a guy who’s spent so much time in shallow relationships, afraid to really love someone, that he has to beg one of his best friends to pretend she loves him enough to marry him.”
“I don’t know if I can keep it a total secret. I can’t lie to Grace. She’ll know something’s wrong. And she’ll dig ‘til she gets to the bottom of it. And then Brad will know.”
“But Brad and Grace are gone until next week. Right? So I’ll let you tell Grace and Brad next week if you swear them to secrecy.”
“What about Spencer? He’s pretty upset. He thinks we’ve been dating behind his back.”
“I’ll talk to him and smooth things over. I’ll think of something.”
“You’d better talk to him, soon. If he gets my folks in an uproar, the jig is up.”
“Fine. I’ll talk to him tonight.” He leaned close to her and spoke softly, “Are you sure you won’t change your mind about the kissing thing?”
“I’m about to change my mind about the engagement thing,” she spoke between gritted teeth.
He laughed and held up his hands in surrender. “I was just kidding. I promise to behave. Your response to the first kiss wasn’t good for my ego, anyway.”
“OLIVIA’S PREGNANT? And Josh is the father?” Emily began to pace. “I can’t believe it. Why hasn’t she told anyone? And if she’s keeping it a secret, why did Josh tell you?”
“Well, he didn’t exactly say it outright,” Spencer corrected, running his fingers through hair that had already been upended in frustration. “But it’s what he implied. He kept talking about doing the right thing, and I almost belted him. He should’ve done the right thing before, instead of knocking up my sister.”
“Wait a minute. What exactly did he say? How did he imply Olivia was pregnant?”
“He said something about how I needed to have an open mind. He said he couldn’t tell me everything, but it was very important they get married right away. They hadn’t really planned to marry before, but they were going to marry by February, and he was determined to be a good father. And then he kept saying they’d talked about it a lot, and it was the right thing to do. And he said she didn’t want to, but he’d talked her into getting engaged. Then there was something about why she wouldn’t wear an engagement ring because it was too big.”
“Hmmm... It does sound like she’s pregnant, but why didn’t he just come out and say it?”
“That’s not all. He also started telling me how he really loved kids, and he’d always wanted to be a dad. But he said he didn’t want his son to be like him. And then he gave me some line about would I please not tell anyone, because Olivia would want to explain everything later.” He stopped and leaned over to bang his fist on the table. “And he told me they would probably only stay married for a year, anyway.”
Emily’s stomach did a flip-flop. “I can’t believe he said that. Do you think Olivia knows he’s not planning to stay married for long? I can’t believe she’d want to marry him if he wasn’t even going to try. Maybe that’s why she wouldn’t accept an engagement ring. It would be better to be a single mom than to get married under those circumstances.”
“I agree. We’ll help her raise the kid. The whole family would help. She doesn’t need Josh if he’s not even willing to commit to her.”
“I’m actually surprised you didn’t slug him.”
“I was just getting over the shock of everything he said, when his cell phone buzzed and he ran off to the hospital for some emergency. I didn’t even get to chew him out, much less hit him.”
“I can’t believe it. They really hid this whole thing. They always acted like such pals—I never would’ve suspected they were dating at all. I really should call her. I bet she’s pretty upset, and she probably didn’t tell anyone because she didn’t want to spoil Grace’s wedding.”
“I don’t think you should tell her you know anything,” said Spencer. “But maybe, if you give her the opportunity, she’ll tell you about it.”
Emily paced while she waited for Olivia to answer her cell phone.
“Hi, Olivia. How are you feeling?” She kept her voice light and cheery. She cut her eyes to Spencer, who nodded approval.
“Uhmm... Fine, Emily. How are you?”
“I’m good. Pretty good... I just thought maybe, with Grace on her honeymoon and all, you might need a sister to talk to. You know how much I love you, right?”
“Uhmm... right. I mean... I love you, too, Emily. You’re just like one of my sisters. I mean, you are my sister.”
“So are you stressed about anything? You seemed a little upset at the reception—you know—when you had the little kissing scene with Josh.”
“Oh, that? Well, don’t worry. That’s not ever happening again.”
“It’s not? I thought... That is... uhmm... Didn’t Josh ask you to marry him?”
“Yeah, well... He did ask me, and we’re technically engaged, I guess. But don’t tell anyone, because I need to figure out how to tell my parents. Or maybe I won’t even have to tell them, if we keep it on the down-low.”
“But... Won’t your parents find out eventually? Are you going to have a secret wedding?”
“It’s... it’s complicated. I can’t really explain it. We’re engaged, but I probably won’t actually marry him. Oh...” She let out a frustrated moan. “I really wish I could tell you, but he doesn’t want me to tell anyone.”
“I don’t see how he can expect you to keep it a secret. If you want to talk about it, you should be able to. Is he worried about his reputation or something?”
“No, it’s... I just can’t tell you, yet. I promised I wouldn’t.”
“Well, you’ll have to talk about it soon, right? I mean, when Josh talked to Spencer about February—”
“He told Spencer about it? So you know the whole story?”
Emily hesitated. “I don’t think he told Spencer everything. But he knows most of it.”
“That’s great,” Olivia said, with obvious relief. “So you know why he wants to get married?”
“Yes. He told Spencer about... about the baby, and how he wants to get married right away. But it seems like you don’t want to get married. And you shouldn’t let him talk you into it, if it’s not what you want.”
“Well, I haven’t said yes to getting married. I’ve only agreed to be engaged.”
“You know we love you and we’ll support you no matter what you decide to do, right?”
“I appreciate you saying that. I don’t think Mom and Papa are going to be very thrilled if they figure things out. I mean... they understand about wanting to be a parent and all, and they love Josh. But they wouldn’t like us getting married if they knew we were planning to get an annulment. That’s why I don’t want to do it. But I don’t want to let Josh down, either.”
“Why would you get an annulment? Why can’t you just try to make the marriage work?” Emily argued.
Olivia gave a hearty laugh. “I just don’t think it’s possible. We don’t love each other like that. He’s more like a brother to me. It was all I could do not to slap the heck out of him when he kissed me at the reception.”
Emily’s heart broke for her. She must feel desperate if she’d lost all of her physical attraction for Josh. “Then I don’t think you should get married at all, Olivia. You shouldn’t marry him if you don’t love him, no matter what. We’ll all be there for you.”
“Yes, but who’ll be there for Josh? I mean, he’ll be devastated.”
“He can still be a father. And someday you’ll both meet the right person and marry someone you love. I’m sure when he meets the right girl, she’ll be accepting of him already having a kid. And you’ll meet someone who loves you like that as well. Someone who wants to be with you for the rest of your life, and not just for a year.”
“Believe me, I want that. I plan to have that someday. That’s why I decided to only commit to the engagement for now.”
“Olivia, are you sure you can’t make a marriage work? What if you both really committed to it? Maybe if you talked with a counselor?”
“I don’t want you to judge Josh harshly on this. He’s really trying to be considerate because he knows I don’t love him like that. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but he even offered to pay for my medical school if I would marry him for a year.”
Emily gasped in horror. “You aren’t going to do it, are you?”
“He didn’t even understand why a girl would be offended with a proposal like that. He said it was a business proposition.” Olivia surprised her by laughing.
“Ohmygosh!”
“That’s why I feel sorry for him. For such a big player, he’s totally clueless about women.”
“Well, you just remember we love you—both of us. And we’re not going to judge you no matter what decision you make. And if you need help, we’ll do anything we can.”
“Thanks, Emily. I’m just relieved to finally have someone to talk to about it.”
“Are you gonna tell anyone else?”
“I’m planning to talk to Grace and Brad when they come back from the honeymoon. But I’m swearing them to secrecy. Josh wants everyone else to believe we’re engaged because we’re in love. And he’s still trying to convince me to marry him. So don’t tell anyone else. Okay?”
“Sure. We won’t say anything until you’re ready. But you’re feeling okay?”
“I’m really tired, and I’ve been pulling some long shifts. But I’m okay. And honestly, since I’m probably not going to get married and have my medical school paid for, I need the extra shifts. Not that I would ever let him give me that kind of money, anyway. It just feels wrong.”
“I totally agree. Just remember we’re behind you, okay? And be careful you don’t overdo it. We love you.”
“You, too.”
Emily hung up the phone and turned to face her husband. “Spencer, I hope she doesn’t marry him.” She decided not to tell him about Josh’s proposal to pay for medical school in exchange for Olivia marrying him. Spencer was already angry enough with Josh.
“I should’ve decked him when I had the chance,” he grumbled.
“But she doesn’t love him—she told me so. Even if he wanted to stay married forever, she doesn’t feel that way about him.”
“I don’t get it. Why would she sleep with him when she doesn’t even love him? That just doesn’t seem like Olivia.”
“I know. I’m as surprised as you are. She always seemed so levelheaded where guys were concerned. I can’t believe she let herself get physically involved with Josh, when she obviously doesn’t even care about him.”
A goofy smile bloomed on Spencer’s face. “I’m going to be an uncle.”
Emily chuckled. “Yeah. I guess that’s right. But you’ll have to compete with Brad to be the best uncle.”
“No problem. I’ll beat him, hands down. Let’s look online for cool baby stuff...”
JOSH WAS NERVOUS. THE meeting with the ad litem was critical for him to gain custody of his niece and nephew. But he was great at hiding his emotions. He’d done it all of his life. This was simply one more time he couldn’t afford to let down his guard.
“Thanks again for doing this,” he said to Olivia as they walked toward the office. “It would probably be best if you said as little as possible. That way, if I show up in February married to someone else, he hopefully won’t even notice.”
“Okay.” Her voice trembled. “I’m so afraid I’m going to mess this up for you.”
“One more thing. Will you wear the ring? Just while we’re in here?” He saw warring emotions flit across her face.
“Sure. Why not?” She slipped the ring on her finger without looking at it. She fidgeted nervously with the huge solitaire until he grabbed her hand.
“I promise not to kiss you, but we do need to look like we’re in love. So holding hands is all right, isn’t it?”
“Of course.” Her answering smile was stiff.
“Here goes nothing.” He opened the door and pulled her inside.
After a short wait, the secretary led them into a conference room. The ad litem entered, thumbing through a file. He introduced himself as Drew Warner and continued in a let’s-not-waste-any-time voice.
“Let me explain how this works,” he said. “I’ve been assigned to represent the children. My job is to study the situation and recommend what I feel is in the best interest of the children. I plan to meet with the grandparents, Ron and Kay Hampton, who want to adopt Chloe. But today, I want to get to know you and find out what you have to offer the children. I understand you want to adopt both Jace and Chloe. Is that right, Dr. Branson?”
“Yes. Please, call me Josh.” He took a deep breath. “But you’re correct. I want Jace and Chloe to grow up together as brother and sister. And I think I can give them a stable home and every opportunity they deserve.”
Warner sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “What concerns me, Dr. Branson... I mean, Josh... What concerns me is you don’t have a relationship with the children. After all these years, why now? There was a life insurance policy, but it wasn’t large enough to cover the expense of raising both children.”
Josh stiffened at his words. “I’m not interested in the money, if that’s what you think.”
“I wasn’t implying anything. I simply want you to understand the financial commitment you’d be making.”
“I have a substantial income, more than enough to support Jace and Chloe and send them to the best schools.”
“Okay, as long as we’re clear on the issue. But the question still remains. Why do you want to adopt them now, when you haven’t made an effort to have a relationship with either child in the past?”
He took a deep breath. “My sister and I were separated as children. She was adopted, and I grew up in foster care. I only reconnected with her last year. Look, I may not know them, but I know what a travesty it would be to have the same thing happen to them that happened to me and my sister. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to let them grow up together in a stable home.”
Drew nodded. “And what about you, Olivia?”
Her smile was shaky. “Uhmm, me?”
“Yes. How do you feel about having an instant family? Are you disappointed to lose your time alone as newlyweds? And this is a lot of responsibility for someone your age, isn’t it?”
“Uhmm... well...”
“We’ve known each other for two years,” Josh said. “It’s not like we haven’t had opportunities to spend time alone. Right, sweetheart?”
“Right.” She twisted her hands together in her lap.
Drew pursed his lips. “But you still haven’t told me how you feel about suddenly being a mother of a nine-year-old and a two-year-old you haven’t even met yet.”
“She’s fine with it.” Josh drummed the fingers of his left hand on his leg. “And I’m willing to shoulder most of the responsibility at the beginning.”
Warner shook his head. “I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t work that way. I can’t recommend the two of you as adoptive parents for the children unless I’m certain your marriage can stand up to the stress of the adoption. If your marriage failed, Chloe would probably be better off with the Parsons.”
“I see.” Josh felt his anger bubbling just below the surface. “And what about Jace? He doesn’t matter at all?”
“Dr. Branson, we want what’s best for both children. Ideally, both children would be in a stable home with two parents. I
n Jace’s case, you’re currently the only option other than foster care. But to be honest, if I feel your fiancée isn’t ready to be a parent, it would be better for Jace to be in foster care. He’s already lost two parents. It would be tragic for him to bond with Olivia and then lose her because the two of you divorced.”
Josh felt his face turning red, and he fought to control his temper. “I understand.” He clenched his fists until his fingernails dug little crescents into his palm. “So what do I need to do to convince you my wife and I would be the best option for the children?”
Drew didn’t respond immediately, flipping through the papers in his chart. “Pardon me while I check something.” He opened his laptop, tapping rapidly on the keys, his brows furrowed in concentration. Finally, he looked up from the screen with an intense, scrutinizing stare.
“This isn’t an easy case. Optimally, the children would grow up together in the same home. You could be the best option, but I do have some misgivings about saddling a newlywed couple with two children, no matter how noble your intentions may be. Additionally, you have a distinct disadvantage because you don’t have a relationship with Jace and Chloe.” He leaned forward. “But here’s my plan. When we go before the judge on Thursday, I’m going to recommend both children be placed with you for two weeks beginning Sunday. This would give both you and the children a chance to spend time together.”
“What about school for Jace?” asked Josh.
“His temporary foster home is here in Manhattan. He’s already enrolled in school, so you’ll be responsible for getting him to and from school for a week until Christmas break.” He cocked his head. “It’s no different from what you’d have to do if you obtained custody in February. And you’ll have to arrange childcare for the time you’re working, of course.”
“Yes, yes. Of course,” Josh said, while the wheels spun in his head. He had so many preparations to make.
Olivia raised her hand, and Drew smiled at the action, “Yes, Olivia? You have a question?”
“Well, we don’t actually live together. Is that okay? I mean I can be at Josh’s place most of the time, except at night.”